Which rice is best?

There are dozens of different rice varieties, and the differences lie mostly with the following:

The region/country grown in. The amount of milling. The starch content. Flavour. Farming modifications. The variety of rice itself.

By and large most rice has a similar carb/protein/fat profile. Lets have a look at a couple of the main varieties.

White rice has had the husk, bran and germ removed in milling and is then polished. This removes various nutrients from the rice including important energy giving B-Vitamins. This milling gives it a better shelf life.

Brown rice only has the husk removed and so is higher in iron, fibre, B Vitamins, essential fats and magnesium than white rice.

Basmati Rice is a type of long grain rice with a fragrant flavour, it can come in white and brown, so is subject to the same nutritional differences as standard white or brown rice.  The fragrant flavour is due to a particular compound naturally occurring in the rice.

Sticky rice (glutinous rice) can also come in white or brown, but the difference here is in its high starch content (amylose and amlyopectin) which is where it gets its stickiness from. This is not gluten. Arborio rice is from Italy and is similar in its starch content.

Brown rice (of any variety) will contain a better micronutrient profile than its white counterpart, but there are some dishes that work better with white rice your choice will depend on your health and fitness goals, the dish you are cooking and the effort you want to go to, to find the perfect rice.

When it comes to pre-cooked rice, read your labels.  Some will contain either flavour enhancer, MSG or other additives.  These things can affect our energy levels and cause other symptoms, so if youre trying to avoid these, ensure your ingredients label isnt full of words you cant pronounce or numbers. Uncle Bens have a range of both flavoured and plain rice and there are some flavoured additive free ones.

Read all rice packets well.  If you are aiming for a particular number of calories or carbs then you will need to adjust your serving size from what is listed on the pack.  Read carefully to see if the packet is giving you cooked amounts or uncooked. The amount of water you cook your rice with, cooking method, cooking time, standing time and amount of starch not rinsed off will determine your cooked rice weight.  For example a ¼ cup uncooked rice might be cooked up to half a cup for one person, while another may get ¾ cup out of it.  If calories are king, use uncooked rice as your measurements.

Stacey
30 June 10